Christa Pike Hospitalized After Surviving 2 Lethal Injection Doses in Tennessee
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Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of state execution attempts.
Tennessee woman Christa Pike has been hospitalized after surviving two lethal injection doses administered by state officials on Wednesday evening, marking the second botched execution in the state this year and prompting a pause on executions in the state.
The execution of Pike, convicted of murdering a classmate in 1995 at the age of 18, was scheduled for Wednesday morning, but was delayed after a last-minute ruling by a federal appeals court ordering a stay. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority quickly ruled to allow her execution to go ahead, and state officials rushed to carry it out on Wednesday evening to avoid having to reschedule.
At about 6:30 pm, journalists were brought to the witness room. Shortly after, curtains concealing the execution room were opened, and Pike was strapped to a gurney inside.
At one point after the first injection, Pike said that she felt concentrated pain on one part of her arm, which felt like it was “about to burst open,” witnesses to the botched execution said. “Does this happen like that? The one spot?” she asked. She could be heard moaning and snoring, clearly still alive. Officials then issued a second dose, and closed the curtains again after a few minutes. Witnesses said they continued to hear Pike snoring for almost an hour.
In all, the process took over two hours. Pike’s lawyers said afterward that she was transferred to a nearby hospital and that they have not been informed on her condition.
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Pike’s lawyers said that she was given “degraded pentobarbital” that failed to stop her heart. Officials use pentobarbital and other anesthetic or sedative drugs in executions by giving the prisoner an overdose — but this method has a high failure rate, with over 7 percent of executions using this method being botched, according to an analysis by the Death Penalty Information Center.
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